INDIANAPOLIS - Colts coach Chuck Pagano told his team before Sunday's game that it needed to focus on getting to .500 rather than winning the game for him.

In an email sent to players earlier this week and released by the Colts during the game against Green Bay, Pagano wrote to players, thanking them for their love and support and insisting he would win his battle with leukemia.

Pagano has been hospitalized since Sept. 26 and missed the game as he continued to undergo treatment.

While team owner Jim Irsay said Monday that he wanted the team to win so it could deliver a game ball to Pagano, the ailing coach told players to focus on being .500 — nothing else — and to have a laser sharp focus against the Packers.